Post by XYZ on Nov 29, 2021 23:19:32 GMT -5
Cast
Xander Young Zaber (The Talent)
Amaya Torres (Girlfriend, sort of...)
Izabelle Lawrence (Executive Producer)
Xander Young Zaber’s sudden and shocking return was a success! Social media was all abuzz; the world divided on his assault on the Rising Star Champion, Jessie Lee! The clues he had left weeks prior to his re-emergence suddenly making sense to all of those that actually paid attention. It was methodical. It was precise. It was perfection! He was the “talk of the town” and the people had, finally, spoken. In a match dictated by the fans, they chose him – above the likes of Brandon Hendrix and Talia Skye – to face off against the #1 Contender for the Legendary Championship, Maggie Lockheart.
“Finally, some respect!”
Xander lay back in his recliner as his staff of beauticians worked on making him ready for his in-ring return. A stylist made sure to cut his hair to just the appropriately desired length, shave him clean so his face was as soft as baby’s bottom, and apply the appropriate concealer to mask the scars that Jin had given him at Remembrance.
“I told you it would all work out…”
“No, you told me to lose.”
Xander was still bitter about this particular demand from his executive producer but ultimately knew that she wasn’t the real person to blame for that request. His mysterious benefactor was at fault here; always remaining in the shadows, operating primarily through proxies. It was annoying to say the least.
“Maybe if you had listened to me…”
“We’ve had this discussion already!”
Many times, in fact. Xander didn’t throw the match, not the way that he was expected to anyway. Though he ultimately lost in the end, he fought as hard as he ever had – perhaps that’s why, over the past few months, he’d become so bitter. Even his best hadn’t been good enough, not for the likes of Jin Min-jun at least.
“Just finish up getting ready, we still have that press conference to attend…”
“I’ll be ready.”
Xander waved his hand, dismissing her, as CJ stepped out from his lurking spot and escorted her out of the room. Things had been tense between them since his match. XYZ was a changed man, more driven and focused than ever before. He had no time to worry about how his actions affected those around him. They could either fall-in-line and support him or get out of his way.
“You know it’s not her fault, right?”
“She could’ve backed me up.”
“She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
“She works for me, not HIM!”
“She is loyal to you, Xander…”
“That remains to be seen.”
Amaya gave up the battle as this, too, had been a conversation the duo had shared once before. His assembly of minions finished getting him ready as he got up out of the chair, took Amaya’s arm within his, and lead her out of the private salon.
Later on, Xander and his entourage arrived at the arena for various autograph signings, interviews, and other such events to hype up the impending Cyber Slam super show. XYZ is led to a separate podium where he has spots lined up for him and his cast of characters. The brothers Bryne sit off to the side, making fun of the various overweight Wisconsin fans, while Amaya takes a seat next to him, CJ in the other one, and – pushed to the far end of the table – a lone isolated spot for Izabella.
“Greetings all, did you all miss me?”
Mainly a mixed reaction as a few fans shuffle to the microphone so as to, formally, begin this QnA.
“Where have you been this whole time?”
“Unfortunately, I suffered an injury at the hands of Jin Min-jun at Remembrance and needed to take some time off to recover. But not to worry, I’m back now and I’m better than ever.”
Xander winked at the female fan as she scurried out of the way.
“Why did you wait until now to come back?”
“Did you not hear what I just said? I was injured you, moron! I had to wait for the ‘all clear’ by the medical staff before I could return.”
The male fan shuffled away, embarrassed as Xander shook his head, annoyed.
“Why did you attack Jessie Lee upon your return?”
“Do I need a reason? Hmmm… I suppose I do. Here, take a look at this…”
Xander spun around as a large monitor that had been hung behind them turned on and a recap of his match with Jin Min-jun played. This particular scene shows Xander hit the “Rude Awakening” and cover Jin, pinning his shoulders to the mat for the three count but the referee waving it off because of Min-jun’s foot finding its way to the bottom rope, courtesy of Jessie Lee.
“In typical fashion, Jin and Jessie need to cheat the system. They need to rely on each other in order to be successful. Case-in-point, look at what happens when you put Jessie inside of a steel cage and she has no backup. Sure, I could’ve let Maggie take care of her on her own but then… where’s the fun in that? As the old adage goes, ‘payback is a bitch’ and I can assure you that there is no bigger ‘bish’ on the Legacy roster than Jessie Lee.”
The child fan, that had been wearing an ‘Aussie Assault’ shirt and cradling a Jessie-Roo close to her chest, ran off crying from Xander’s harsh words as an elderly gentleman was up next.
“Were you just using Jessie as a means to send a message to Jin?”
“It definitely got his attention, don’t you think? I mean, after all, the only thing that Jin seems to care about more than his title is his friends… so you got to hit him where he’s the weakest.”
Xander stood up, taking the microphone off the podium and pacing back and forth.
“See, I made a mistake; I gave Jin the benefit of the doubt. I thought that someone like him, someone so desperate to be accepted and loved by the fans wouldn’t do anything dishonorable in our match. And I paid the price for it, in more ways than one. I had my boi CJ out there with me because I knew how these things tended to go. Outside interference is almost a guarantee in any match, so it makes sense to have some back-up out there with you. But what Jin did; what Jessie did, that was going too far! Jin KNEW that he couldn’t beat me, not on his own. So he had his little ‘sheila’ help him steal that title from me! The thing that irks me is that everyone looks at it like I ‘lost’. I didn’t lose to Jin. That video evidence shows that I had him beat in the middle of the ring, one… two… three…”
Xander shakes his head, sitting back down at the request of his friends.
“That night was MY night; I should be here before you all with that Legendary Championship on my shoulder. The fact that I’m not is a travesty. My friend, Sierra Silver, trusted in me to carry the torch for her. She had personal business to attend to and, thus, couldn’t compete. But I stepped in. I heard all the naysayers; heard them constantly ask that question ‘why’. ‘Why should Xander be given this opportunity’? I didn’t care if they thought I was deserving of it or not. I certainly don’t care what you people have to think. The fact is, I got the opportunity and I fucking ran with it! No ONE gave me a chance in hell of going toe-to-toe with Jin Min-jun but that’s exactly what I did. I took him to the limits. And if it wasn’t for him damn-near breaking my face, I would’ve been given a king’s coronation after I had defeated him and become the Legendary Champion.”
The elderly man hobbled off as a punk-rock teen came to the microphone.
“You seem to be taking this rather personal dude…”
“You’re damn right it’s personal! Jin went after my ‘money-maker’. He didn’t try to just kill me; he tried to kill MY career! My face is everything; it is MY ENTIRE brand! You didn’t see me out there trying to rip him limb-from-limb, take away the one thing that makes him relevant in this industry, his fists and feet of fury. He put me out of action for months! So yeah, it’s pretty fucking personal.”
The ignorant youth rolled their eyes and walked off as a business woman stepped up next.
“Despite all that, you now face Maggie Lockheart at Cyber Slam. What are your thoughts on her?”
“Remembrance was, as they say, a ‘night to remember’. Though I don’t believe it should officially count… that night, I suffered my greatest defeat. Maggie, on the other hand, won her biggest match to date, the Remembrance Battle Royal. She had her pick of Champion to go after. Am I happy she chose Jin? Of course not. I feel like he and I have some unfinished business. But I’m also not going to sit here and whine about it. I hope Maggie wipes that smug smirk off his face and caves his skull in, like he tried to do with me.”
The woman walks off as Xander stands up again, greeting the crowd once more.
“Let’s get one thing straight right now; I’m NOT forming some sort of coalition against Jin and his band of rejects. But if I were, you better believe Maggie would be at the top of that list. She knows exactly what it’s like to be ‘screwed’ by the likes of Jin and Jessie, don’t believe me? Go back and look at the old Horrorcore Matches. I harbor no ill will towards Maggie in this match. But if this is just one of those things that I need to do to fight my way back to the top of the mountain so that I can get my hands on that squirrely little street fighter, then so be it. Just because it appeared that I was coming to her aid a few weeks ago doesn’t mean we have any type of connection with each other what-so-ever. My guess is that the only thing the two of us share is our mutual disdain for Lee-Jin. Otherwise, we’re both professionals, and I anticipate she’ll not want to lose any forward momentum heading into her title match with Jin. Again, that’s her deal – not mine. I need to look out for myself here; need to put myself and my needs before everyone else’s. My return was the biggest thing trending on social media for the past week – highlights of me slamming Jessie down to the mat with the X-stasy and beating her bloody and senseless, all while Jin could do nothing but stand there; I could watch that shit all day… and I have! But I promise you… that was just the beginning. Just wait until you see what I do next!”
With that, Xander flipped the microphone down to the table and stood up, raising his arms into the air, before he and the rest of his entourage exited the stage.
